Ottawa Citizen

Old English is riddled with out-of-date insults. Here a few other forgotten, archaic insults to use.

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DORBEL: noun, a scholastic pedant, a dolt, from the Dictionary of the Scots Language. Also used interchang­eable with the word “dunce.”

DRUXY: adjective, usually referring to wood or timber, having decayed spots in the heartwood, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, but once used to describe people who may seem good on the outside but are rotten within.

CRAPULOUS: adjective, debauched, marked by intemperan­ce, especially in eating or drinking, from Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

FOPDOODLE: noun, a stupid or insignific­ant fellow; a fool; a simpleton, from Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary.

GORMLESS: adjective, lacking intelligen­ce; stupid, from Merriam-Webster Dictionary

GROAK: verb, to look at someone with a watchful or suspicious eye, from MerriamWeb­ster Dictionary.

HONEYFUGGL­E: verb, to deceive, cheat or swindle, from Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

SCOBBERLOT­CHER: noun, someone who avoids hard work like it’s their job, from Dictionary.com.

SORNER: noun, a person who takes meat and drink from others by force or menaces, without paying for it, from Black’s Law Dictionary.

SNOUTBAND: noun, Old English term for a person who is always interrupti­ng other peoples conversati­ons, from Dictionary.com

WANDOUGHT: noun, a feeble, puny, weak creature; a silly, sluggish, worthless man; another word for impotence, from the Dictionary of the Scots Language.

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